Fireproof floor, (concrete beam).



J. H. MAGDIEL. PIREPROOF FLOOR (CONCRETE BEAM).

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.19, 190B.

Patented June 1, 1909.

INVENTOH W/ TNE SSE S A TTORNE) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. JOHN H. MAG DIEL, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MI JSNE ASSIGN MENTS, TO MAGDIEL-MORRIS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH,

A CORPORATION OF UTAH.

rmnrnoor FLOOR, (CONCRETE BEAM.)

To all whom it may concern: I V Be 'it known that I, JOHN H. MAGDIEL, a subject of the King of Norway, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fireproof Floors, (Concrete Bea1n,) ofwhich the following is a'specification. a

My invention relates to fire-proof floors of that form in which beams'are arrangedto carry floor blocks which also form the ceiling below and in which said beams are made of reinforced concrete either at the shop and 1.;efore being inserted in the building, or are made at the building while in process of construction. I

The object of my invention is to provide a Eimple and cheap, but strong and substantial It is alsod'esigned to avoid the great expense of centering for floors while in process of construction and'to provide a floor that can be quickly laid and one which is ready to walk on as soon as laid.

It also provides a hollow construction of floor having the advantages of healthfulness and sanitation as wellas convenience in installing pipes for plumbing, or heating, ventilating, electric wiring, etc. V 7

My invention consists in the novel construction of the floor and ceiling blocks, the beams and girders for supporting the same and the combination of these members, as will be hereafter more fully described with reference to the drawing in Which Figure 1, is a vertical section of one form of my improved floor in which concrete beams are cast separate and apart from the building, Fig. 2, is a similar View of another form inwhich the concrete beam is cast after the floor blocks are in place, Fig. 3, is a top plan and end view of a series of blocks showing their relation to the concrete beams and girder, the form shown being that illustrated in Fig. 1, Fig. 4, is a similar view, partly in section, the form shown being that shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a detail in perspective showing means for strengthening the girder at a'point opposite an opening through thesame, Fig. 5, is a plan view of a modified construction in which the reinforced cross beams and girders are cast together as one to form rectangular seats for separately spaced floor blocks having four Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented June 1, 1909.

A ueation filed October 19, 1908. Serial No. 458,350.

similarly finished sides and Fig. 6, is a detail, in perspective View, of a cheap but strong reinforcing member of a composite I-beam character, which may be used in the formation of concrete beams.

- In the drawing, Fig. 1, the numeral 1 represents one of the hollow concrete floor blocks which is about three feet square, more orless. It is made hollow with a single opening and'has embedded in its top, sides and bottomwire reinforcing 2. On the upper surface of the ceiling slab of this block is cast one or more stiffening ribs 3 extending across the same and. indented along its upper edge to form seats to receive pipes for plumbing, heating, etc. Under each rib is a reinforcing rod 12 extending out to the edges of the block. The sides of the block are formed with holes 4, indicated in dotted lines, for lightness and for conduits for cross connections of pipes and wiring. The outer sides of the block are made in a peculiar way for a special. purpose, z'. e.', at the top they have overhanging edges 6-6 into which the reinforcing extends and below these the sides areindented or made narrower, are then again extended out to an increased width at 5-5 and then again are made narrower to form overhang-v ing edges at 5 with a flat horizontal shoulder. These overhanging edges at 6 and 5 have an important functi0n,.in that .both of them support the block against the gravitating strain, the edge 6 engaging with the upper or compression member of the beam to support the upper or floor slab of the block, and the edge 5 engaging with the lower. or tension member of the beam to support the lower or ceiling slab of the block, as hereinafter more fully described. In the body of the blocks at the sides are cast anchorage wires 7 which protrude outwardly beyond the side walls of the block to be embedded in a matrix of concrete to make a firm bond.

X represents the cast concrete beam which is generally made at the shop and away from the building in which it is installed. This has an'enlarged upper part in the plane of compression, an enlarged lower part in the plane of tension and a relatively narrower middle portion in the plane of the neutral axis. and lower parts are the longitudinal rein- In the enlarged upper.

forcing rods 9-9-9, there being preferably 1 the latter are made, and have free flexible 'two at the bot-tom and one at the top which are connected together by cross lacings of wire through the neutral axis. The side faces of the upper part conform, approximately, in their angular planes to the plane of the overhang of the part 6 of the block, and the side faces of the lower part conform to the beams. formed below the overhanging shoulders 5 at the lower edges of the block, which shoulders bear directly upon the upper edges of the enlarged lower part of the beam, the reinforcing rods 12 of the block having their ends extended to the overhang 5, so as to get a bearing on the tension member of the beam. Transversely through the middle portion of the beam are embedded anchor wires 10, which extend into the two trough-shaped channels between the beam and the adjacent blocks. There are also holes 11 transversely through the beams at intervals, as shown in dotted line, which allow the passage of pipes or wiring therethrough. Into the'two troughs thus formed on each side of the beam cement concrete is run until it perfectly fills the channels, embedding both the anchor wires 7 and 10 and flowing also into .the holes 4 of the block and the holes 11 of the beams, thus making a firm and strong bond between the beams and the blocks, as seen on the left hand side of Fig. l. c

' It will be seen that the peculiar shape of the sides of the fioor blocks form a trough, for molding the beams, that is widest at the top and when the cement is poured and packed in this trough its wedge shape in vertical cross section causes the cement in settling from gravity to enter the holes 4* and 11 in a positive manner to form interlocking tenons. The beam thus finally made consists both of the beam- X and'the last poured and supplemental bonding con- This gives a beam which has a very wide and strong upper compression member, it being well known that in concrete the compression values are of more importance than the tension'values. Not only this, but the blocks by their overhanging edges 6 at the top get a bearing on these compression members of the beam which support directly the upper floor slab by compression strains, while the lower tension member of the beam carries independently, by the shoulder 5, the ceiling slab which requires less supporting strength, By supporting the hollow blocks by both shoulders 6 at the top and 5 at the bottom, breaking strains on a horizontal linethrough the middle of the block are avoided and the hollow block may thus be made much lighter.

It will be seen that .there area plurality of both the wires 7 and. 10 and that these wires areembedded in the blocks and beams when ends extending beyond the sides of the blocks and beams and projecting into the trough spaces above the widest art of the floor blocks and in several di erent horizontal planes. In casting the blocks the secured ends of the wires 7 are embedded in the sides of the blocks well across the reinforcing wires 2, while in casting the beams the wires 10 extend transversely through the same and their free ends project up5n opposite sides of the beam. This arrangement of the wires is important, since in packing the troughs with concrete the flexible free ends of the upper wires are held out of the way, and only the lower wires are at first extended into the troughs in bonding position, so that the concrete may be wellramnied down on the same. Then, for a succeeding layer, the wires of the next level are laid across and another layer of concrete rammed on to the same, and so on, until all the wires have been tightly embedded for bonding effect. This avoids all air spaces'forming hidden elements of weakness, which must not exist in.

a concrete beam, and when finished the beams have a strong wire connection with the wire reinforcing2, in the sides ofthe blocks. It will also be seen that the holes 4. in the floor blocks and 11 in the beams are large enough to allow the concrete, when filled in the troughs, to run intothe holes and form large dowels of concrete which, when set, bond and unify the blocks'and beams very strongly together.

' The beams may be made'of any desired length and the reinforcing rods 9 may be extended beyond the beam and screw threaded and provided with a nut and washer as seen at 14 in Fig. 3, to connect with an I-beam, or be embedded in the concrete girder Y.

In Figs. 1 and 3, the beams are put up without centering support. \a

In Figs. 2 and 4 I show a modification in which there is a minimum amount of centering as seen at A and A In this case the concrete beam X is formed in the floor as it is laid. The blocks 1 are substantially thesame as in Fig. 1. They have the overhanging upper shoulder 6 and the overhanging lower shoulden 5, corresponding to the shoulders 6 and 5 of Fig. 1, and securing the same effect of carrying independently the floor slab on the compression member of the beam X and the ceiling slab on the tension member. Similar bond or anchor wires 7 are employed and reinforcing rods 9 are used in the tension member but the side faces of the blocks take the form of curves as shown in Fig. 2. In this instance the blocks have to be laid and temporarily supported'upon the centeringA and the concrete is then poured into the trough formed between theblocks, thus embedding the reinforcing rods 9 and bond wires 7 and ternately to right and left and bent around and secured to two longitudinal rods, 9 at the top and two similar ones at the bottom. 3

This reinforcement is placed in the empty trough and the concrete packed around the same as seen on the left hand-side of Fig. 2. The strengthening effect of this reinforcement, acting as an I-beam, avoids the 118C651 sity of the centering shown at A on the right, and in the place of the same a plank A -is held up temporarily by stirrup wires A slung from the lower rods 9. This plank holds the block until the beams are cast'and the concrete has set, after which the stirrups are cut away and the plank removed.

In building floors in accordance with my invention, the blocks may be made in long slabs, as seen in Fig. 4. At the end of a series of blocks where they stop againsta girder I provide a special means forstrengthening the girders, especially at such points where channels or openings are to be formed in the girder. In Figs. 4 and 4? such 'a channel is shown at 15 in the girder Y Before forming the girder the end one of the blocks is broken away, as indicated in dotted lines, and a stopperplate'JS, of any suitable material, .is molded to fit the cross section of the cavity in the block and is inserted in the same and cemented in place. Then when the girder Y is formed, the concrete widens out at this point by entering the broken end of the block, the plate 13 forming a mold to hold it. This gives a wider cross section of girder atthis point to compensate for the weakening effect produced by the passage 15. In order to secure the result described, it

will beunderstood that the length of the opening 15 must be less than the horizontal dimension of that portion of the concrete which enters the hollow block and opposite the middle portion of the same.

In Fig. 5, is shown a method of construction inwhich the supporting members of the floor are formed of girders Y and cross beams X all cast integrally and at one time,

to form a solid set of cells or seats, preferably of rectangular form in which are sustained and embedded the separately spaced floor blocks. I11 such case the floor blocks 1 are finished alike on all four sides in the same way as seen in Fig. 2 and when put in place above a suitable centering the reinforcing rods 9, Fig. 5, are interlaced alternately cross Wise between the blocks to form employ in such case may also have glazed openings- 1 as would covers.

The floor blocks herein described form a finished floor above and a finished ceiling be desirable in building vault .below, but if desired the middle slab of the ceiling part, or the middle slab of the floor part may be omitted where only one part is required.

The floor blocks and beams are designed to be used notonlyfor buildings, but also for bridges, or in any which they maybe suited.

Although I have heretofore spoken only of reinforcediconcrete as a material, I do not confine myself to that material, as some of the features of my invention may be carried out with terra cotta tile, artificial stone, or'any similar material.

I claim:

. 1. A fire proof floor, comprising rein- .7 forced concrete beams having each a bearing surface for floor blocks on its upper compression member, and a bearing surface for floor blocks also on its lower tension member and floor blocks made of less width at their upper surfaces than at their lower surfaces and with overhanging bearings near the upper and lower surfaces of the sides and formed with a single central opening and having reinforcing wires extending through the upper and lower parts of the blocks and also the sides of the blocks from the upper to the lower reinforcing, and hav-' ing also in the sides of the blocks at points between the upper and lower bearings a plurality of flexible wires arranged at different levels, said wires at one end extending across the embedded reinforcing wires in the sides of the blocks and extending through and beyond the sides of the blocks as free ends to be successively embedded In.

the concrete of a beam. 7

2. A fire proof floor, comprising remforced concretev beams having each a bearing surface for floor blocks on its upper V I compression member, and a bearing surface for floor blocks also on its lower tension member and floor blocks made of less width at their upper surfaces than at their lower surfaces and with overhanging bearings near the upper and lower surfaces of the sides and formed with a single central opening and having reinforcing wires extending through the upper and lower parts of the blocks and also the sides of the blocks from the upper to the lower reinforcing, and having also in the sides of the blocks at points betweenthe upper and lower bearings a plurality of flexible wires arranged at different levels, said wires at one end extendother application to ing across the embedded reinforcing wires in the sides of the blocks and extending through and beyond the sides of the blocks as free ends to be successively embedded in the concreteof a beam, said blocks being block having along its sides an overhanging upper edge adapted to be supported on the compression member of the concrete beam and an overhanging'lower edge adapt-' ed to be supported on the tension member of the concrete beam, the blocks having tuansverse openings .in the sides and the beams having openings through the neutral axis and a filling of cement extending through both openings and, bonding the. blocks to the beams.

4. A floor block made of less width at its upper surface than at its lower surface and with overhanging bearings near the upper and lower surfaces of the sides and formed with a'single central opening and having reinforcing Wires extending through the upper part of the block, the lower part of the block and also the sides of the block from the upper to the lower reinforcing, and having also in the sides of the block at points'between the upper and lower bearings a plurality of flexible wires arranged at diflerent levels, said wires at one end extending across the embedded reinforcing wires in the" sides of the block and extending through and beyond the sides of the block as free ends adapted to be successively embedded in the concrete of a beam.

A floor block made of less width at its upper surface than at its lower surface and with overhanging bearings near the upper and lower surfaces of the sides and formed with a single central opening and having reinforcing wires extending through the upper part of the block, the lower part of the block and also the sides of the block from the upper to the lower reinforcing, and having also in the sides of the block at points ber tween the upper and lower bearings a plurality of flexible wires arranged at different levels, said wires at one end extending across the embedded reinforcing wires in the sides of the block and extending through and beyond the sides of the block as free ends adapted to be successively embedded in the concrete of a beam, said block being also formed with a rib on the upper surface of v its lower member extending from side to side and having indented seats on its upper edge.

6. A floor block'made of less width at its upper surface than at its lower surface and with overhanging bearings near the upper and lower surfaces of the sides and formed with a single central opening and having reinforcing wires extending through the upper part of the block, the lower part of the block and also the sides of the block from the upper to the lower reinforcing, and having also in the sides of the block at points between the upper and lower bearingsa plurality of flexible wires arranged at different levels, said wires at one end extending across the embedded reinforcing wires in the sides 7 of the block and extending through and beyond the sides of the block as free ends adapted to be successively embedded in the concrete of a beam, said block being also formed at its sides with openings 4 extendbeing formedalso with a vertical opening through it opposite the projecting part and of less extent in horizontal direction than the width of said projecting part.

8. A fire proof floor comprising concrete beams having openings through its neutral axis and floor blocks having each a single central chamber, each block having along its sides overhanging edges adapted to be supported upon the beam and of less width at the upper surface than atthe lower surface to form a trough between two series of blocks and each block having openings entirely through the sides into the inner chamber and a filling of cement laid in the troughs and extending both through 'the openings in the beam and the openlngs in the blocks.

In testimony whereof I afiix my Signature '11 presence of two witnesses.- I JOHN H. MAGDIEL.

Witnesses:

HARRY A, HEGARTY, C. M. FORREST. 

